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07/11/2006

A Korczak exhibition in Pézenas (FR)

As a teacher and a writer who devoted his life to the protection and defence of children, Janusz Korczak is this year's principal author at the festival of literature for the youth of the country around Pézenas.

Pézenas is a very pretty, small city in Herault (34), known as home to Molière and the birthplace of the famous French composer-songwriter, singer, poet and humorist Bobby Lapointe, and there is always a great deal of cultural activity there.

For their third festival, which is to be called “The fish’s mother”, the organizers' objective is to stress respect for the rights of the children and to defend their access to culture as private individuals and their participation as citizens in society. The example of Janusz Korczak, his life and his work, and this exhibition which describes in detail the actual operation of Korczak's two small “Children's Republics” in Warsaw between the two wars, is rich in references to and reflexions on these themes.

The exhibition has been set up in the middle of the city's large media library, which is very well-used. All the schools in the area have been invited to come to see it. Classes and groups have the advantage of a special introduction carried out by a whole team of trained volunteers. A teaching pack and videos are available to the teachers and organizers.

Games are planned for the children. The excellent French telefilm about Janusz Korczak by Claude Couderc: “The last good-bye with the children” will be shown at the city cinema.

The inauguration on November 8 was the occasion for a long moment of discovery and discussion about Korczak's ideas on education and children (the child as neither king nor object; neither possessive love, nor exclusion; confidence, comprehension, respect for the world of the child with its uniqueness and its mysteries; absolute respect for the inalienable rights of the child, etc). Many classes have registered already. We have the opportunity to make this event a popular and valuable success with children.